Steps to Paradise
by Xardion
Summary: A short Hands of God 2 ficlet. Cain meets with his wife in the hospital after his battle in Silent Line. Please R


Disclaimer: I do not own Armored Core or any of the series. But the characters here are of my own design.

_AN: I couldn't resist..._

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**_Steps to Paradise_**

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_-And he said to him: "Truly I tell you today, You will be with me in Paradise."- _Luke 23:43_-_

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The advanced medical facility was as still and quiet as the hospital she was housed in. At least, that what Cain thought as he entered into the building. There was a commotion behind him, but he ignored it, realizing early on that something like this would happen by settling his core, Glaive II, in front of the building. The machine was battered and scorched, which was hard to see considering the black paint it was coated in. But those weren't the things on his mind right now. There was only one thing that moved him like this.

_Aria… _

He began to make his way toward the room after he confirmed his identity to the staff in the lobby. The doctor was persistent that Cain gets treatment for the injuries he was covered in, but the Raven was just a persistent at seeing his wife. In the end, they reached a compromise. The doctor would let him see Aria for a few minutes and then Cain would be treated for his injuries. With that in mind, Cain strode toward the room, a multitude of emotions going through him at this time. Each step he took brought a memory, a sensation, to his mind, heart and soul.

First step; _Pain…_

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_"One of the reactors went off. In section…34."_

_"Aria!"_

_**KABOOOOOMMMMMMMMM!** _

_"No! ARIA!"_

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The bruises and burns he bore made that quite obvious. He was fairly certain that at least three of his ribs were broken, but he wasn't sure if he had internal injuries or not. But he couldn't care for himself yet. He had to see her first. The pain he was feeling now would always dwarf the pain he felt those years ago. When the facility exploded before his eyes and he rushed in to find her. But she was gone and it tore him apart, literally. He had become a man shattered and broken.

A second step; _Hope…_

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_"Two things. One, Cain is too stubborn and always tries to handle things himself. And two, he doesn't like encouragement. If he got his hopes too high and if she had died, them he would have been depressed all over again." _

_"But…he's always depressed." _

_"True. But with him, there's normal depressed and there's depressed depressed. Trust me, there's a difference." _

_"Isn't there a happy for him? Something good?" _

_"Her."_

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It wasn't until a full year later that he learned of Aria's whereabouts. Before that time, he began searching for her. Her AC was abandoned so he believed that he had to have escaped somehow. He went from being broken to becoming obsessed. And just when he felt he was far exceeding his limit, he found her. That was the most thrilling sensation he ever felt when he discovered that a woman was discovered in a small town some distance away from the facility and was later taken to a larger hospital in a nearby city. Even more so was the fact that she was alive. But he put his hopes aside, submerging them in negative possibilities. Perhaps that woman was not her. It was unlikely, but possible. This thought alone kept his hopes from skyrocketing and kept his mind leveled when he visited the hospital. If this wasn't her, then he would have to continue his searching.

But his search ended as soon as he looked in the room and saw her sleeping form…

He had become silent, even as the doctors prodded him on whether or not this was the woman he sought. He could only nod his head dumbly as tears filtered down his eyes. Seeing this, the doctor left him alone with her and he broke down again, with pure unbridled joy.

She was here… She was alive….

Third step; _Love…_

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_"Thank you." _

_"For what?" _

_"My dream. Thank you for letting it come true." _

_"You're absolutely welcome." _

_"I'd like to return the favor now. I...love you." _

_"Strange words for a Raven." _

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Since he found her, he devoted his time to finding a way to bring her back from her condition. There were many medical procedures that were available, but they seemed too dangerous, with the chances of success being low or with the doctors being too shadowy a character. He wanted to be sure he wasn't putting her in grave risk and ultimately, he found one. It was still risky, but it was something he felt was manageable. Once found, he had to now come up with the funds for it, during which time he trained Elijah, a young Raven with great potential. The money would be difficult to get, but that didn't matter. He was driven to do this; his love burning like a fire within.

It was as her Armored Core was named; Firewave. She was his fire…his light…his life…

True, in this age, such thoughts may have seemed unusual, especially for a Raven, a person that would go out in a giant machine and set destruction wherever he went. Or maybe it seemed old-fashioned, like it was out of a fairy tale. But that was the kind of person he was. Hell, he had forsaken sex until after they were husband and wife.

Although, that almost didn't stop them those three times…

Another step; _Fear…_

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_"I'll go alone. You can't help me. Not in your condition." _

_"My condition is better than yours right now." _

_"What do you mean?" _

_"You're panicking, something that you don't normally do. What happened between you two? What did she say?" _

_"She told me…that she loves me." _

_"I thought so. You're an emotional wreck. If you go into battle like that, you'll only get killed." _

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Worry was prevalent before, but now it became dominant as he drew closer, rapidly becoming great fear. What if the procedure failed? What if things were worse now? What if she was…? His mind was a literal war between his fears and his hopes and fear seemed to have the upper hand. He had felt this once already, when the doctors told him of the side effect of her condition, that she was dying anyway. He almost lost it then, sinking into a hole of despair. But he forged ahead, refusing to let himself fall victim to his fears, no matter how realistic or close to certain they seemed.

He wouldn't stop now….

Final step… 

It was there that he halted in his tracks; for it was there that his thoughts disappeared. His mind was just…blank. Why? Looking at the doorknob, he soon knew why. This was the moment he worked for and now that he reached it, he didn't know what was to come afterward. Of course, he knew what would happen depending on what he saw, but at that moment there was simply…the moment.

_"Paradise…is still waiting for me."_

With those solemn words, the Raven turned the knob and entered the room. White light obscured his vision briefly, but it soon cleared enough for him to see. There, on the bed before him, lay his wife, Aria.

_Still unconscious…_

Though the doctors told him that the treatment was a success, Aria had still not yet awoken. The internal damage that had been killing her had been repaired; all that was left was for her to revive. When that will be is unknown, even to then. So in a sense, Cain felt like he was back to square one. Grabbing a nearby chair, he set it beside the bed and sat down.

"Hey. How are you?"

The only answer was the steadily beeping machine nearby, giving off her vitals. He wasn't expecting an answer though and continued speaking.

"I'm a little worse for wear," A light sigh was his only pause. "I know, but I made it. I managed to get through Silent Line. It was crazy, but truthfully, you would have done the same."

He knew her feelings as a Raven as much as he knew her feelings as a person. If the situation were reversed, there was no doubt that she would have forged through Silent Line and she would have made it back to him. Just as he was there now.

"The doctor told me how things went. Seems like you had as hard a time as I did." He then looked over at his wounded arm and tentatively held it up. "These? Just some scrapes and bruises. You know the usual."

He tried to keep the 'conversation' light-hearted, but ultimately, he found himself failing at it. His face began to curl into a slight frown and his head lowered somewhat.

"I…I guess I was kind of hoping that you would be awake right now.' He wiped his face, hiding the tear that was threatening to emerge from his eye. It seemed a little…unfair to him. After all that he went through, only to wind up right back where he started…

"I guess… Maybe I was asking for too much." he said at last. His strength was beginning to fade from him, but he had enough to place his hand over hers. He bent forward and gave her a light kiss on the forehead before rising fully. He had to go now. The doctor was waiting for him and he was a man of his word. Bending forward, he placed her hand back on her chest.

"It's okay. I'll wait."

Yes… He would wait… No matter how long it took, he would wait for her. They were joined souls in the truest sense of the word. Whatever happens to one affects the other just as strongly. Pain, hurt, pleasure, happiness…These things could only be truly felt when they were together. He would not be complete without her and he knew she felt the same. So no matter how long, he would wait for her. Whether she awakens tomorrow or fifty years from now, he would be there. But it would seem, that time had ended for him for when he turned away to go back to into the hallway, a strange thing happened.

_She didn't let go of his hand…_


End file.
